The town of Puerto Barrios is a town that doesn’t have much that meets the eye. Driving through one can notice the lack of care for the streets and people with the amount of garbage, poverty, and extreme heat everywhere you go. Whenever we have teams come, they must pass through this town and many can’t wait to arrive to the dock to take the boat to El Faro and leave Puerto Barrios behind. There is a place, however, that has become very special to us and has begun to shine bright amongst the darkness in Puerto Barrios. We first walked into the doors of the Children’s Hospital in 2011 when we needed a place to perform surgeries and we had a connection with the director there. We formed an instant relationship with 
the hospital and since then we have been able to use their facilities and staff for three successful surgery teams. For each surgery team many of the El Faro volunteers and missionaries have gone to assist in translating during the surgeries and also visit and pray with the patients and their families. Nelita Saravia, a missionary at El Faro, had been on several of these surgery teams and after the last one she saw the huge need of ministering to the patients and families at the hospital. Beginning this year in February, Nelita and a group of girls have traveled by boat every Monday to Puerto Barrios to spend their mornings at the Children’s Hospital. On a regular weekly visit they target certain areas of the hospital to spend their time and love on children and their families.
Malnourished Area: In this area the girls talk and pray for mothers who have babies and young children in the hospital due to malnourishment. Some mothers are new and have been at the hospital for a week while others remain in the hospital for up to two months while their child gets back to normal weight. The girls are able to hold the babies and play with the children while encouraging the mothers.
Neonatal/Nursery Area: The El Faro girls have had the privelege of helping the “nannies” of the hospital with the job of bottle feeding the newborns from one-day old to two-week old babies.
Newborn to Two-Year Old: In this area there are a number of patients with different medical needs. Many of the children are not in the hospital for a long period of time and so the mothers don’t necessarily stay with them all the time leaving them under the watch of the nurses. The El Faro team is able to help hold and care for the children and help the nurses in any way they can.
Young Boy and Girls 3-14 years: Once the El Faro team gets to these rooms the party begins. Things get a little crazy with coloring books, puzzles, games, balloons, and of course, bubbles! In these rooms the children have little to entertain themselves with so it is wonderful having visitors and being able to have fun in the hospital even though they are going through physical problems.
Many children throughout the day sit in their hospital bed with little to do so when
the El Faro team comes in it is quite the treat. This ministry has really grown and whenever we have teams or volunteers they are also able to visit the hospital with the team and love on the patients in lots of different ways including playing games, coloring in coloring books, reading, or just talking and praying. The team also makes it a point to visit and minister to the nurses at the hospital. The nurses have a hard job and usually don’t get much credit. The girls on the team are able to talk and pray for the stresses and personal problems the nurses might have and also encourage them. We know that it is God who has opened the doors to the hospital from the very beginning and we are thankful for all the opportunities that are springing up now to be able to go every week. Please pray for the wonderful team from El Faro that goes there every Monday so that they will be used and make an impact on the patients, medical staff, and administration of the hospital.
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